badge. >> robert griffin iii quarterback of the washington redskins lighter in the wallet this morning. rg 3, fined $10,000 by the nfl for apparent violation of his apparel. before the game against the steelers. griffin wore a t-shirt. players must wear nike gear. griffin didn't play in the game. more than 50 large wildfires burn out of control across the western states. a blaze outside yosemite national park tripled in size. california governor jerry brown has declared a state of emergency. as thick smoke spread as far as reno. 150 miles away. sheriffs deputies have been going door to door urging people to evacuate. many are refusing to leave. >> take a look at the weather. clear skies across the west coast. thunderstorms across the rockies. southeast. showers for mid-atlantic and plains. >> 87 in fargo. 85, new york, baltimore, in the nap his.

87, boise, salt lake city. low 90s across the middle of the country. >> high-flying entertainment to tell you about courtesy of southwest airlines. >> gavin degrau and friend entertaining their fellow passengers aboard a flight, fine, to l.a. take a listen. ♪ it's too late you're the best i've ever had ♪ >> pretty cool. performance part of the company's live at 35 concert series. live part is self-explanatory. the 35 is shorthand for 35,000 feet. that's what you call in-flight entertainment. >> sure beats the little $1, $2 for directv. >> absolutely. hear that again. sound pretty good on the intercom. this is your captain speaking. thought it would sound worse. this is your captain speaking. we are running into turbulence. sit back and enjoy. we'll let you know seshglicircl

guardia. >> i was going to say you could be a stewardess. you are a pilot. >> drive the plane. >> amazing story of perseverance and will to live. >> a man lost at sea, treds water for 22 hours to survive. >> drinking coffee is too taxing for you. how about caffeine in sprite. you're watching "world news now." ♪ get up get on up get up get on up ♪ >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by united health care. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you.

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♪ ♪ >> all right, next an amazing story of survival this morning. a florida man recovering after spend 2g 2 hours floating in the gulf of mexico without a life jacket after a boating accident. >> unbelievable. spent nearly a full day and night drifting in the sea but he never gave up. eric waxler of our tampa bay station has the story. >> i don't know what else to say. it's a miracle. really is. >> reporter: after hours of waiting a distraught wife got an unbelievable call. steve mamore ris wris was alive.

>> he was fishing in the gulf in a boat without a life jacket. he treaded water through the night. then at 1:00 this morning he saw a shrimp boat and thought he was about to be saved. >> got 100 yard from it. it pulled up and left. he swam, was just floating. >> reporter: night turned today. the search went on by walter and air. todd hoy and his family were out scalloping. they knew a boater was missing and were on the lookout for steve too. >> i was driving. danny was up front with me. we both just liked and said what is that. then we weren't sure. we headed that way. >> reporter: it was steve. 22 hours after he went in the water. within minutes he was back on shore. weak,dehydrated. but alive. >> he might as brother. if anybody could do it he would do it. >> reporter: these stories don't normally end like this. >> i know you don't know the man in there. >> they say, we have been

married for 28 years. i just thought that, you have that feeling they say. i didn't hatch that feeling. so, i guess it was right. i was, hoping for the best, praying for a miracle. and it happened. >> 22 hours. >> a whole day. >> how do you not give up? >> i know. >> muscles, physically. >> couldn't have ben treading water. fleeting on his back, lightly. remarkable. his wife and steve own ape restaurant. by the way he was out fishing when this happened. when asked if she would let her husband go fishing alen again. her response is, no way. >> smart lady. clearly loves him. >> no more fishing for you, buddy a. len anyway. coming up next for all you insomni insomniacs. a new way to get you caffeine. caffeine spray. >> the very serious invention of two young men. could it be right for you? stay with us.

♪ get up get on up ♪ >> are you up? news for insomniacs. an one who loves or need caffeine. two young inventers think you may appreciate their caffeine spray. >> spritz it on like perfume, anywhere, any time. there you go. it doesn't smell like the morning joe. i don't get it. here's abc's juju chang with more. >> why do you feel so tired? >> reporter: judging from the ad we are a nation of people in need of a jolt. caffeine lovers, pick your favorite pick me up. >> what are you drinking?

>> your morning coffee, midday booster, or mixer. in the form of a drink or maybe a pill. but now, two innovators have a new approach. >> sprayable is a revolutionary way to get your energy. >> reporter: the brains behind the potential product. spray-on caffeine. absorbed through the skin. >> in coffee drinks you get all the caffeine at once. and then it just leaves your system. >> reporter: according to the makers each bottle would contain 160 sprays. each pump equal to a quarter cup of coffee. that's 40 cups of coffee per bottle. >> carry it in your pocket. leave one in your car, in your desk. get the energy anytime. >> this is a medication in some sense that can have more serious consequences. >> reporter: in the end it may come done to one thing. where people like gene carlisle trade in his four cups a day habit for a spritz. >> i don't think i would need any more caffeine. >> it is a ritual.

heat of the coffee. the taste. >> you are an addict? >> aren't we all. >> reporter: if you have sworn off coffee. if you could get a little caffeine with a spray that would be ideal. >> absolutely. i would give it a shot. or a squirt anyway. >> yes. >> reporter: juju chang, abc news, new york. >> i don't buy it. >> i don't either. >> why do that when you can have an iced cappuccino. >> i'm with you. the process, it's all about the caffeine. drugs, give me the drugs. nice cup of coffee. beautiful thing. don't know why you want to take away the pleasure. if i was going hiking in the mountains needed the caffeine fix. bring pills. i would get a head ache in the morning. dr. pepper. >> dr. pepper. only 150 calories too. are you trying to tell us something. >> one over here. >> the guys will wind up rich. ben yu, harvard undergrad. devon sony, venture capitalist. >> water, caffeine, amino acids.

>> help it absorb in the skin. >> taking orders now. available by the end of the year. do you do red bull or anything, stick with the coffee? >> iced caramel machiatto, skinny. >> a million calories. >> 120. >> this has 120. >> this has 150. >> oh.

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>> all right. >> well it is friday morning. >> it is. >> time for "insomniac theater" for your consideration this weekend. two new movies. with a drinking theme. >> really? first up, "worlds end" folks who made sean of the dead and hot fuzz. five lifelong friend go become to finish an historic pub crawl they started in the 90s. when the final pub is called halfway through. and everyone in the town replaced by robots. the motley troupe has to save

the human race. it begins like this. take a listen. >> -- for 16 years -- i haven't had a drink for 16 years. >> you must be thirsty the we can go back. and this time we will finish this thing once and for all. >> you have a selective memory, jerry. >> thanks. >> you remember friday nights. i remember monday mornings. >> you get the sense of the zany verbal humor. "new york post" reviewer said, "world's end, can't end soon enough." >> most actually reviews were positive. l.a. times, feels like a sell brags of friendship and dlab racing and all that is silly and gloriousen the human spirit. not bad. >> continuing with our alcohol theme here. drinking buddies is a small indy movie romantic comedy, at the heart of the drama are two brewery workers, like and kate and greg attraction to each other though both are in committed relationships. much of the action and dialogue

is improved. the characters seem likable and behavior seems well, believable. >> you have obviously got a lot of love. that's a barrier. some people are not. some people are mistakes. if chris is lucky, you'll have babies and do all that good stuff. and live in this house, or house equivalent to this. >> yeah, you could come over and play bridge. >> they aren't everybody's cup of tea. this one gets generally high marks. variety's reviewer, not a fan. drinking buddies offers mostly froth. "the new york times," nimble, knowing and altogether excellent new film refuses to dance to the usual tune. >> "the new york times" likes it, it's got to be good. that's not sarcastic. usually on the money. will you see any? >> no, not my cup of tea. >> neither one? >> looks kind of cute. heard that is great.

they say oprah winfrey is awesome. >> everybody buzzing about her. >> possible oscar. who knows. we'll be right back.

a this morning on "world news now" -- the international community tries to get to the bottom of what happened. plus. >> it's going to continue to grow until it find a point where it can support itself. >> these dramatic images only the beginning of what could be in store in a louisiana bayou. what caused it? why it is not as uncommon as you might think. and later -- >> it's scary to think sthat soe one would try to sell something that has no gran of truth. >> a woman's hard earned weight

loss used to sell get thin quick products without her approval. her campaign to take her image back. it's friday, august 23rd. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good friday morning, everybody. tgif. look who's here. reena ninan filling in for diana. >> last time i was here you serenaded me with a song, cinco de mayo. >> no tequila, no guitars. good you are back. have a lot of fun. serious stuff to got to. syrian government right now offering a new explanation of the chemical attack that may have killed up to 1,000 people. deputy prime minister blaming foreign militants. >> he claims the attack had backing of israel and supporters in the west. the u.n. urging the syrian government to allow inspectors to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapon. here's abc's martha raddatz. >> reporter: it is a terrible and urgent task, the u.s. and u.n. racing to find out whether

chemical weapons killed these men, women and children. and just how many died. a shocking new number from opposition groups revealed in washington. >> the most recent estimates we have seen range from 1,000 to 1,800 which is obviously a broad range. >> reporter: the assad regime says claims that it carried out a chemical attack are baseless. but the world its reacting swiftly and forcefully. as u.n. investigators beg for access to the site, the evidence may be quickly dissipating. president obama has directed the intelligence community to do everything possible to gain additional information about this suspected attack, but we don't know what the u.s. response would be. martha raddatz, abc news, cairo. >> the threat of more political violence hangs over egypt with muslim brotherhood calling for a day of protests. this follows the the release from prison of former president hosni mubarak. the 85-year-old is being held

under house arrest at a hospital. here at home, hundreds rallied in front of the white house. demanding that president obama take action to protect egyptians. >> some frightening comments from outgoing fbi director robert muller about current threats faced by the u.s. in an interview with abc's pierre thomas, bombs on airplanes and terrorists using chemical weapons are most urgent threats. he talked about americans who have gone to syria to fight alongside the rebels there. >> you are concerned about what the, number one, associates, associations they will make. and secondly the expertise they will develop. and whether or not they will utilize that expertise to undertake an attack on the homeland. yes we are concerned. >> for the first time, muller was definitive saying boston marathon bombing plot was not directed from overseas, home grown radicalization. and admitted the authorities won't always be able to stop individual whose become radicalized on the internet.

>> army private bradley manning has returned to the military prison at fort levin weavenwort. manning revealed he considers himself a female. and asked to be referred to by the name chelsea the he also asked he be allowed to get hormone replacement therapy as soon as possible. >> in adiagnosis to becoming the smartest person on pardons i am going to become the smartest person on ensuring that a -- that a soldier who is confinement who has gender disfor yeah gets appropriate medical treatment. >> the army does not provide such treatment or sex reassignment surgery. but soldiers behind bars are given access to psychiatrists and other mental health professionals. >> two vocal supporters of pradly mprad prad -- bradley manning tried to shut down president obama. he took it in stride. i hear you. i got you. before continuing on a speech of making colleges more affordable. with more on that we are joined

by abc's karen travers. karen. >> good morning,good morning, j. the plan from the president puts pressures on universities. make college more affordable and better value and you will get more federal money. college students are starting to head back to campus. millions are worried about the high cost of earning that diploma. >> we have got a crisis in terms of college affordability and student debt. >> president obama kicked off with a two state two day bus tour. >> higher education cannot be optional. every american family should be able to afford to get it. >> reporter: at the university of buffalo, a rating system that would tie taxpayer fund to performance and value. schools will be evaluated by several criteria, average tuition, scholarships and loan debts. graduation rates and earnings of graduates. president obama said that colleges that keep their tuition down, while providing topnotch education, will see their

federal funding go up. >> it is time to stop subsidizing schools that are not producing goodesults and reward schools that deliver for american students and our future. [ applause ] >> reporter: last month congress reached an agreement to set federal student loan rates at 3.86% for the upcoming year. going forward they will be tied to financial markets. they could go up as the economy improves. students like dimonte mccoy are worried about graduating with massive amounts of debt. he wants to be a filmmaker but thinking of his future. >> might put my dream back a little bit. >> reporter: the president's plan is a tough sell on capitol hill. but john and reena, yesterday the obama administration said, we don't need congressional approval. >> karen travers. thank you. >> a lot of people are saying is it going to be worth six figures you pay for college tuition if you are having difficulty finding a job? and the rates going up. >> very valid.

old days it was look of course you have to go to college. game starts when you get your college degree. these days spend a fortune. heavily in debt. you really wonder if it is worth going to college in some professionals. plumbers, electricians make a lot of money. a lot more than people with college degrees. you have to wonder. turning the whole thing upside down. >> the white house still hounding the point, go to college. want to help you make it happen. >> he wants to have a rating system that would show bang for the buck from certain universities. congress would tie their aid to most efficient colleges it would tie in. divided down party lines. we'll see what happens. >> the sexual harassment saga swirling around the san diego mayor filner could end today. filner is prepared to resign if san diego city council accepts a proposal, mediated deal. 18 women accused him of sexual

harassment, former communications director filed a lawsuit and reportedly set to accept a six figure settlement. >> hannah anderson is revealing more about the dozen texts and letters she exchanged with her abductor and an emotional explanation. here is abc's linsey davis. >> reporter: she was kidnapped. her mother, brother tortured and killed. now a little more than a week after her rescue, 16-year-old hannah anderson, seen by so many as a victim feels the need to defend herself. in an interview broadcast on nbc news, she explained why she had written letters to jim dimaggio, her 40-year-old abductor, she had then as uncle jim. >> the letters were from a year ago when me and my mom weren't getting along very well. me and him would talk about how to deal with it. he helped me through it. >> reporter: as for the 13 phone exchanges with dimaggio the day of her abduction she says they weren't phone calls but text messages. he was picking her up from cheerleading camp and didn't know where to fiend her. as the community comes together,

to raise money for the funeral of her mother and 8-year-old brother, hannah expresses gratitude for the amber alert she says saved her. >> i didn't really know what it was. i know it helped people fiend me. with everyone's support it can help a lot. >> reporter: hannah's hope now, that people won't see her as a victim but as a survivor instead. linsey davis, abc news, new york. >> as more than 50 large wildfires burn out of control across the western states. a blaze outside yosemite national park has tripled in size. california governor jerry brown has declared a state of emergency. as thick smoke spread across as far as reno. 150 miles away. sheriffs deputies have been going door to door urging people to evacuate. but many are refusing to leave. >> are you sticking here? >> oh, yeah. absolutely. shelter in place. protect what i can as long as i can. >> reporter: the fire is threatening nearly 300 homes in

one subdivision alone. residents in another 1,300 homes are urged to evacuate. >> still no conclusive ex-play nation behind the computer glitch that halted operations at the nasdaq. the problem affected the stock exchange electronic system that links 13 exchange. hit many companies in which many hold retirement, google, apple, microsoft, face book. fortunately the market closed higher. all the angst about the nasdaq had plenty of people ready for a beer. >> and they have the answer for that at the newest stab leestabt in east lansing, michigan. people leaned up for hours, to be first pay trons of a bar, hopcat. >> no ordinary bar. hopcat served the most beers on tap from any pub, single brewery. 100 taps flowing to the shorts brewing company. >> the first 200 patrons in the door qualified for a free order

of the bar signature fries, every week for a year the jeez. >> where's the fries? where's the beer? we are ready. >> no tequila, fries, beer. what kind of show is this? >> you are a guest. we didn't prepare. sorry. one woman's sc a's campaign to back her image. >> you saw dramatic pictures here yesterday. this morning we are learning the sinkhole may not be finished swallowing everything in its path. you are watching "world news now." ♪ down down down down >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by consumer cellular. marjorie... i can't stand you!

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>> this video, a loon of trees collapsing into a sinkhole beneath a louisiana bayou. water rushing down beneath the trees. lake a drain. >> makes you wonder how does something like this happen and could it happen near you? abc's matt gutman went in search of answers. >> they're moving. they're moving, john. >> reporter: this is not an optical illusion. a standard tree, seemingly, melting into the swamp in bayou

corridor, louisiana, being swallowed into a massive sinkhole, sucking everything down with it. watch the trees again -- dipping slowly at first then quickly vanishing into the hole. scientists say more than a football field deep. the sinkhole near an old salt line. workers using watt r er to diss and pump out the salt. pumped out enough to give the ground way. and the earth moves into the cavern, and ever growing sink holes above. >> it will continue to grow where it find a pin the where it can support itself. >> reporter: the sinkhole appeared a year ago. 150 household were evacuated. now the state is suing the company that mined the salt. but sink holes are common. and often occur naturally. this one in downtown guatemala city, bore a hole beg enough to swallow the statue of liberty. they riddle the state of florida because most of the state sits on porous limestone.

>> it literally burns through the rock. hundreds of thousand of years. >> reporter: this sinkhole near orlando gulped down a part of a resort. another one in florida earlier this year turned deadly killing jeff bush as he lay sleeping in bed. perhaps, there is no greater verbab visual example of a sinkhole's destructive power than this. matt gutman, abc news. >> can't believe it. incredible videos. >> look jaws. never want to go into the water. >> no doubt. happened a year ago. still growing. 350 residents in the community had to evacuate indefinitely because it has grown to 24 acres. no end in sight right now. >> i didn't know that's how you get salt. pumping it out. >> wouldn't it be easier to des desalinate the ocean. >> not that tech savvy. >> there is what happens when you get the salt that way. coming up, outrageous case of

stolen photos. meet the woman whose story of personal triumph has been stolen time after time by unscrupulous weight loss programs. >> ahead in the next half-hour, the elderly american couple left behind by their cruise ship in a foreign land. after the huh basband suffers a broken hip. you are watching

>> reena says the who is before her >> not before mine. >> a woman shared her triumphant weight loss saga on line documenting her progress with pictures. >> her try up turned to outrage when he found her photos used by a disreputable company.

>> they want from extra large to medium. trying everything. >> the grapefruit diet. atkins. low carb. fasting. the cabbage soup diet. >> reporter: ultimately losing 70 pound the old-fashioned way. diet and exercise. >> a time i started to blog. i committed to journaling my thoughts and feelings, regardless if i was losing or gaining. >> reporter: posting a photo of herself on the website every month to document the transformation. she was shocked when she says she discovered her photos were being used to promote diet products. in one ad she is jess. this ad claims a weight that took a full year to lose came offen just 30 days. >> it's scary to think that some one would try to sell something that has no grain of truth. >> reporter: internet security experts say this isn't an isolated case. even kate middleton's images were used without her consent to plug diet products. >> it is not just the princesses of the world or famous celebrities of the world.

you are going to find people are doing this to the common folk like ourselves. >> reporter: ronnie had difficulties tracking down the companies using her image. a mailing address abc news found for one of them turned out to be a po box in florida. ronnie has written cease and desist letters to the e-mails she managed to obtain to little avail. >> taken down 24 hours. and pops uh some place else. >> she is asking people to repost her weight loss story and to remind everyone. >> i just don't think it is possible to sell weight loss in a bottle. >> she has such a great attitude about everything. >> she does. >> in spite of this happening she doesn't want people to think her weight loss was quick and easy in a bottle. >> magic bullet. >> it's not. >> hard work. >> absolutely. we want to till you about something fun we are doing over the next week. it's national dog day on monday. and we want to help you show off your best friends. >> we want you to send us the cutest pictures of your dogs.

we will share them on the air. e-mail us at e-mail wnn fans.com. include your dog's name, first name. city state. try off to get it on the air. should be fun. >> coming up. a bizarre accident with goat poop leaves a mess in a vermont town. >> you're watching "world news now."

>> well, now it's time for "the mix." >> lead us off. >> vermont known for what, maple syrup, vermont cheddar cheese the how about goat poop. a farm, they spread the goat poop around. it was in a large pile. spontaneously caught on fire. smell it from 5 miles away. say it smelled look a damped kind of burning leaves or brushfire. >> sound better than i would imagine goat poop to smell. there you go. >> sure do. >> just a nasty smell? >> nasty smell covering the

whole town. known for maple syrup and cheese. >> cheese, maple syrup and goat poop. >> scuba diver busted smuggling weed into america from canada. he scuba dived it. brought the weed across, scuba dive. in the pvc pipe here. 8 pound. apparently 1:00 a.m. in the morning, border patrol looks at the surveillance camera, see the guy swimming across the st. clair river. pvc pipe. pick him up. lo and behold. 8 pounds of dope in the pipe. dope coming from canada. south up. not north down. >> true. very good point. equal opportunity there. ♪ politics and foreign wars all the weather all the scores ♪ ♪ that's the "world news" polka ♪ ♪ tapes that roll in way too slow stuff you saw on koppel's show ♪ ♪ that's the "world news" polka ♪ ♪ it's late at night you're wide awake and you're not wearing pants ♪ ♪ so grab your "world news now" mug and everybody dance ♪

♪ have some fun be a pal every anchor guy and gal ♪ ♪ do the "world news" polka >> ukulele monsters! ♪ ♪

♪ not lip-synced ♪ it's the world news

this morning on "world news now" -- western wildfires out of control. dozens are burning this morning, several growing larger. the latest on what fire fighters are trying to do to contain the chaos. >> plus, a rough reception for president obama that had nothing to do with the speech he was trying to give. why the woman heckled the president during an education event. >> also this morning. left behind. a cruise ship takes off after two passengers are forced to seek help in a turkish hospital. >> also we now know who the next "batman" will be. it might surprise you. it is friday, august 23rd.

>> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> tgif. reena ninan filling in for diana. great to have you back. >> great to be here, john. haven't been back since cinco de mayo. >> maracas. sombreros on. >> no serenade today? nothing? >> nothing. we will have fun. we'll get to the serious stuff. >> more serious news. we begin this half-hour with infernos across the american west. threatening thousands of homes. >> more than 50 wildfires this morning. a fire outside yosemite national park that has more than tripled in size. abc's neal karlinsky is on the front lines. >> reporter: at yosemite rose bed and breakfast built for the thousands who flock to yosemite's untouched beauty each year they're making their last stand. the fire is coming over the hill straight at them. the owner in his bulldozer to help out is making plans with the fire team. >> you give me the signal. i can make laps around the house without a problem.

>> okay. we have two at your house. >> just down the road, another fire team at this house, staring down an intense aerial fire fight to stop the flames before they burn through his property. >> are you sticking here? >> oh, yeah. >> you are? >> not in a shelter, protect what i can long as i can. >> reporter: the wind has caused rapidly changing conditions as we found out firsthand. it shot up again, the flames did. while shooting this material in the fire zone. whoa. a chunk of flaming tree big enough to seriously hurt some s one -- someone fell near our car. it is unusually bad right now though the wildfire numbers are down nationwide. they're way up in california where there have been nearly 40% more fires than last year. hundreds more caused by lightning within just days. we found homeowners packed up ready to leave if they have to. >> if we lose it all, we have a great insurance policy, so. >> reporter: hopefully won't

come to that. >> we'll just start all over again. >> reporter: more homes are not in danger. this fire continues to grow. it tripled in size. they have a real fight on their hands out here. neal karlinsky, abc news. near yosemite national park. another real fight playing out in san diego could come to an end as soon as today. embattled mayor bob filner could reportedly resign pending acceptance of a mediated deal by the city council. 18 women have accused filner of sexual harassment. one former communications director filed a lawsuit and set to accept a six figure settlement. >> a day after being sentenced to 35 years in a military prison for leaking government secrets. army private bradley manning is again making headlines. this time revealing a secret about himself that he wants to live as a woman behind bars. abc's jim avila has the story. >> reporter: bradley manning had one more secret to tell. the small statured man in the army greens is actually a woman inside.

those pictures of him cross-dressing shown at trial were real and not a defense tactic. in a letter released manning wrote "as i transition into this next phase of my life i want everyone to know the real me. i am chelsea manning. i am a female." manning wants to be called she and begin the transformation immediately. "given the way that i feel and have felt since childhood. i want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible." that may be difficult because at fort leavenworth where manning is to serve a 35 year sentence for releasing 700,000 documents to wikileaks. the military does not offer that type of treatment. manning's attorney vows to fight. >> i'm going to change that. >> reporter: manning's attorneys first demonstrated their client's feelings about being a woman during pretrial hearings. manning called himself brianna back then. the signature reads "chelsea." jim avila, abc news. >> manning got a show of support last night in upstate new york two women

tried to shout down president obama. the crowd drowned out protesters with booing. they were led away. the president appeared good natured about the appearance. >> as hecklers go, that young lady was very polite. she was. and you know, she brought up a, an issue of importance. that's part of what america is all about. >> rates the hecklers, not bad. on the heckler came. the president will continue his bus tour today with a townhall at -- binghamton university, and a speech in scranton, pennsylvania, hometown of vice president joe biden. biden expected to appear with the president. >> there was presidential praise for the nation's hero of the week, antoinette tuff, the worker that talked down the gunman at a school near atlanta tuesday. while waiting to make a tv appearance, tuff took a call from the president. he thanked her for courage under fire. tuff called their conversation "awesome." >> awesome to hear. overseas now to egypt where

muslim brotherhood is calling for a day of protests against the military-backed government. this is one day after former president mubarak was release from prison placed under house arrest. the 85-year-old former leader, faces a retrial next week for deaths of protesters in the 2011 uprising. >> well, let's say a certain part of rio is probably smelling a bit ripe right now. that's because of the ten tons of dead fish that are in one of the city's lakes. that lake sits right next to the site where rio's olympic park is being constructed. the city hosts the summer games in three years. it's believed untreated sewage got into the lake, and killed the fish. >> wow. >> beau biden son of the vice president home in delaware following the health scare we have been telling you about. biden tweeted this picture yesterday saying, "on our way home. can't wait to get back. thank you, houston." he is there with his wife and parents. we still don't know what treatment biden received during the stay at the houston cancer hospital.

wall street suffered a trading freeze yesterday for a few hours after a computer glitch halted operations at the nasdaq. the problem affected the stock exchange electronic system that links 13 exchanges. halting trading for three hours. it put a bit of scare into investors hitting big companies, like apple, microsoft and google. fortunately the market closed higher. >> just amazing. listen to this one, 1994, tidbit for you. nasdaq suffered a memorable problem when the exchange closed for 30 minutes following a power outage caused by a squirrel. >> a squirrel. >> a squirrel. out the whole system. >> yeah. don't remember that one. 1994. >> no, before the who. >> after the who. >> nirvana, pearl jam time. >> fascinating though. >> i like we worked rock 'n' roll into the nasdaq power outage. that was pretty good. >> some weather now. and some scenes that look a little more like winter than late summer. check out the hail. >> white blanket of white laid down in central colorado. time to get out the shovels a couple months early. storms that brought the hail

caused localized street flooding. >> for today's weather. more thunderstorms in colorado, elsewhere and the rockies. storms and showers from the gulf coast to the mason dixon line. dread three hs, haze, hot and humidity. in texas and the southern plains. warm along the western coast. >> 81, l.a. 89 sacramento, atlanta, miami. low 80s from baltimore more to boston. readings in the mid 90s across the middle of the nation. >> with summer winding to a close. millions of kids across the country are getting ready to head back to school. >> the school year will be more meaningful for three young brothers from west lafayette, indiana. cade, carson, cooper, made $100 running a lemonade stand this summer. >> but instead of spending the money on themselves, they decided to buy school supplies for fellow classmates who can't afford them. as one of the boys said "it just feels good." >> a nice story. >> that's great. took $100 and bought fellows school supplies.

>> i wouldn't have done that. >> i know -- i think i would have bought some baseball bats. >> new clothes. >> that too. >> coming up, the next batman. we're going to tell you who joined the long line of caped crusaders. >> pretty surprising. by the way, two senior citizens strand in turkey after their cruise ship left without them. you are watching "world news now." ♪ got nowhere to go ♪ feels like i'm stranded >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by hotwire.com. hotwire.com. ontrip t thiyear,, and his s hi schooool union is comg up i in attle.e. evereryone's goioing then w we ard ababouhotwirire and reized we cououldctualllly ford take e bo tripsps. see, when n rely nicice tels ve unsnsolrooms,s, they usese hwire toilill em. so we gogot our fo-star r hols for r ha pricece. i shouldld he beenen ved mo likelely travevel.

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♪ feels like i'm stranded >> next a cruise that turned into a nightmare. an 89-year-old florida man broke his hip traveling in turkey on a cruise ship owned by royal caribbean cruise. the staffers took him to a local hospital. and then the ship took off. >> after frantic calls to their travel agent back home, the man was taken by ambulance to a hospital in istanbul six hours away. though he had insurance through the cruise line the bills are starting to mount up. carson chambers of our tampa station has the story. >> he had surgery, in recovery. we're not sure what is going to happen with the surgery. >> reporter: 89-year-old dodge melkonian is being cared for at an american hospital in istanbul after falling and breaking his hip on a cruise ship in turkey.

>> can you please tell me why it has taken four days to respond to me? >> reporter: royal caribbean left melkonian and his wife to fend for themselves. she says, they were transported to a hospital where english was rare and conditions were suspect. tonight she also says the cruise line's lack of oversight has only made matters worse. >> i said wasn't any body there with them, it was a very remote location. i said i don't really care. he had an injury and needed surgery. you need to bring a representative there with you. >> reporter: the travel insurance policy was set up by royal caribbean because the cruise was complementary. now their hospital bill is adding up, $10,000 a day. and levine says the insurance won't pay up front. which this florida attorney tells me is breaking the company's agreement. >> actually i read the policy over for that particular cruise line and that's not in accord with the insurance coverage. >> reporter: royal caribbean released a statement today for first time that reads -- "we

worked closely with the travel insurance provider as they have the expertise to deal with local authorities and medical facilities." his travel agent says the response is misleading. and a little bit too late. >> they're not looking for charity, not looking for any one to donate or give anything. just want to be done what's right. >> got to feel for the couple. >> you do. >> you save all this money to go on these cruises. you just never know, sometimes. you heard so many horror stories. >> you get the insurance. tough. far from the metropolitan area. an area had people not speaking much english. the boat can't wait. you would think they could have someone help these people at lest get the care they need. >> for connect them with the embassy. the state department has a great app you can download on your iphone. connect you to embassies help you get contact. >> great app. >> good. to know travel warnings. these things pop up. you might not realize. >> overseas. >> the middle east. >> have to get that. thank you, reena ninan. >> the batman has been unmasked.

"the skinny" is next. >> you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations.

♪ skinny so skinny >> "the skinny" time. speculation is over. after weeks of everybody going who the next batman is going to be. we know it will be ben affleck. interesting pick. right? >> very interesting pick. look forward to seeing this. >> courtesy of "usa today," ben affleck, replacing christian bale as the the next batman and ends weeks of speculation. by the way, he will star opposite, the actor reprising role of clark kent. superman. so these two are going to be together. batman and superman in the newest movie. in the announcement, silverman said we knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on, d.c. comic's enduring super heroes. ben fits that bill. he said, they're excited about putting ben together with the superman character. i didn't know this -- affleck has previous experience

as superhero. do you know this, he played daredevil in the 2003 film of the same name. which i did not see. affleck as batman. what do you think? >> i think fantastic. women everywhere are excited about this movie. >> ben affleck, thumbs up. >> big thumbs up. yeah. so, how about brandi performing to 40 people. >> 40? 4-0? >> 40. a packed 90,000 stadium in south africa. supposed to be there as a surprise closing act for the mandela sports and culture day in south africa. however the crowd trickled out ahead of her performance. there were 40 people in the audience. she eventually walks off the stage. >> man, hope she finished the song out of respect to the 40 people there. >> amazing. 90,000 seat. 40 people. you can't blame her. >> vh-1, about the whole car accident she was involved in, killed a woman, years and years

ago. she was trying to recover from that. how difficult it was. tragedy follows brandi. >> tell you what, in that situation, playing to 40 people. work on new material. work on dance moves. of course someone has a camera. it will all be on youtube. you can't work on anything. >> always everywhere. >> kelly clarkson. going to have a big, fancy elaborate wedding. no more. after all the planning, she says i'm going to elope. we were so busy. came to terms the other night. we were like let's change our mind. want to elope? apparently, all the wedding planning was getting overwhelming. they have busy lives. she told "people" magazine wednesday let's throw in the towel and let's elope. ♪ you know i dream in color ♪ and do the thingize want an outdoor affair in their home in nashville. but, yeah, things got complicated. arguments. photos. and all the things shared all over the place. they just said it got too crazy. so after that decided to elope. you can't blame them. some times i listen to wedding plans, all the money spent.

i'm any just like what -- save it for the down payment. think she has enough money. save for the down payment. great honeymoon. destination. throw a party for your friend. >> she reached the point, brides want to elope. never have the guts. to actually do it. >> she had the guts to do it. >> she had the guts to do it. yeah. >> so, jennifer lopez, we always make fun of stars, i don't like being in the spotlight. my children. dah-dah. dah-dah. can you imagine. jennifer lopez's home, an alleged camper for six days. camped out in her home at the hamptons. >> she wasn't there. she wasn't there. one of her staffers noticed. obviously this guy was -- then brought in. the next day he pleaded not guilty on two felonies. and two misdemeanors. being held in a south hampton jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. >> really creepy. six days inside the house. >> she has children. luckily they weren't there. >> no doubt about it. she looks magnificent. in these photos.

have the listening to you. half looking at the pictures. >> how can you not fawn over j-lo. >> pretty amazing. >> fantastic. and twins. >> got the guy. been charged. worse when you have stalkers they don't do anything quite crossing the line. you can't charge them. >> with kids involved. >> crossed the line, he got charged. we'll be right back, everybody. k, everybody. ♪

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it. we all go through something in life. >> if we have to die so the next generation can live freely, then so be it. we didn't provoke it. we asked them to go freely. we started by throwing only tear gas. and they -- answered back by firing. >> the only explanation i can really see to this, this looks like this fellow's nerves are being destroyed potentially by something like sarin. >> it's coming down the mountainside right there. now it's just wait and see what happens. you cannot control it. >> i have always believed that people are born with the predisposition to be homosexual. >> if russia doesn't have gay or lesbian athletes. then it will probably make their team weaker. >> ryan dempster is a hero. a national hero today. >> whether you look me or hate me, that was unprofessional, and silly. >> yanked me out of the car. i was just trying to call the dmv. very exciting.

>> i think the last few weeks for me have just been a very different emotional experience. something i never thought i would feel myself. and i find again it's only initial, but a lot of things affect me differently now. >> ah, the happy couple. remind our viewers about our new online segment "in case you missed it." >> we understand you can't always be with us here live on television. >> we are going to include the best of "world news now." check it out on our facebook page, wnnfans.com. some of the highlights for the week. anything good going for the weekend, reena? >> i'll be working. tune in. i will be here. >> man, oh, man. what about you? >> one of the last weekend of summer, i will chill. do summery things. grill, chill out in the backyard. >> you are a good griller. right. you are into grilling. what is your specialty? >> meat, fire, red wine. as i say. i can use those in 100 different

combinations. never gets old. >> the refined caveman. as we like to refer to it. >> announcer: this is abc's "world news now," informing insomniacs for two decades. why choose land o' lakes butter in half sticks? it's pre-measured. fresh tasting. and it's only from land o' lakes.

making news in america this morning -- fierce fight. 50 fires, 10 states. and american treasure in the crosshairs of quick-moving flames. george zimmerman is pictures for the first time since his acquittal. and he's with a gunmaker. what kind of firearm is he trying to buy now? superhero surprise. we know who will play batman in the next movie. road hazard. amazing, new video this morning showing a motorcycle crossing paths with a bear.

good morning. i'm reena ninan, in for diana perez. >> i'm john muller. more than 50 wildfires burn out of control across the western states, one of those fires is becoming a particular danger. >> the wildfire outside yosemite national park has nearly cro ll quadrupled in size. preeti arla has the latest. >> reporter: a tough battle ahead for firefighters out west. there's some 50 uncontained wildfires raging out of control in 10 states. >> ready. ready. drop. >> reporter: in the air and on the ground, more than 19,000 firefighters are attacking all these blazes. many times they fight through a wall of smoke. >> there's fire over there. and there's fire here. you're right in the middle of these two coming together. okay? >> reporter: california's governor declared a state of emergency. the wildfire at yosemite national park has nearly

quadrupled in size. it's peak season. and tourists who travel to take in the park's natural beauty are, instead, watching flames take over. tourists and residents across the area have been asked to evacuate. >> we have everything loaded and ready on trailers and stuff to go if we need to go. everybody's on high alert. >> reporter: for now, some are standing their ground, hoping to protect their property. >> the shelter in place. protect what i can as long as i can. >> reporter: the blaze at another park west of yosemite, has stretched 20-square miles and is only 5% contained. >> right now, this fire has grown so large, the head is creating its own weather. >> reporter: while it's been a difficult battle, one small victory. this business owner watched a dc-10 plane drop flame retardant and stop the blaze from coming to his camp. >> next thing i see is the dc-10. it saved our life. >> reporter: the fires appear to have plenty of strength left.

and for firefighters, a long road ahead. preeti arla, abc news, washington. now, to the growing international pressure on syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons. the u.n. is urging that its inspectors be allowed into the damascus neighborhood where this attack took place allegedly. the security council meets here in new york today to consider further actions. the state department says the death toll from the attack could be in the hundreds. the threat of more political violence hangs over egypt, with the muslim brotherhood calling for a day of protest. this follows a release from prison yesterday of former president hosni mubarak. the 85-year-old is being held under house arrest at a hospital. and here at home, hundreds rallied in front of the white house demanding that president obama take action to protect egyptians. some frightening comments from outgoing fbi director bert mueller about the current threats faced by the u.s. in an interview with abc's pierre thomas, he says bombs on airplanes and terrorists using biological and chemical weapons are the most urgent threats